Archive for the 'Bud Black' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

As bad as they've been, the Angels aren't the worst team in baseball and aren't even in the worst position among just the teams in Southern California.

Minnesota arrives at Angel Stadium tonight with a poorer record (6-15) than the Halos (7-15). Kansas City also began Monday at 6-15.

As for teams here, San Diego (7-16) started Monday with a 9 1/2-game deficit in the National League West. The Angels trailed Texas in the AL West by nine games.

That would explain why former Angel pitching coach Bud Black could be in trouble with the Padres. In his sixth season as San Diego's manager, Black was the NL manager of the year in 2010, when his team finished 90-72. But since then, his Padres are 29 games below .500.

Of course, the roster Black had just two seasons ago included players like Adrian Gonzalez, Heath Bell and Mike Adams. The roster he has today? Ah, not so much.

There's no question the Angels are now expected to win. A lot and for a long time.

So, does that mean more pressure on Manager Mike Scioscia? Of course, it does.

On one Web site (www.Bovada.lv), the odds of Scioscia being the first manager fired this season have been set at 12/1. That makes him the 10th most popular choice.

Personally, we wouldn't bet a dime against Scioscia. In part because he seems as secure as any head coach or manager in sports but also because of the extreme unlikelihood of the Angels not winning often in 2012.

Then again, $100 could bring back $1,200 and with the price of gas these days...

This is just one of those "makes sense" things, but Bud Black might be the best fit for the Angels as they seek a general manager.

He was Mike Scioscia's pitching coach and woud be able to work with him. He was on the track to being a GM in Cleveland before Scioscia hired him in 2000. He has proven himself as a manager in San Diego, going to the fina day of the season twice with a chance to win, and probably is getting a little weary of small payrolls.

Just a thought that was also broached by Hall of Fame baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby.

Last week, when Mike Scioscia asked Howie Kendrick to take a big glove and go play left field, Kendrick said he would go behind the plate and catch, if needed.

What the Angels need right now is someone reliable to pitch short relief, and protect the puny leads they manage. I'm only guessing that Kendrick did that at one time, back in his travel-ball days as a youth.

And, if I'm the Angels, I tell 2010 first-round pick Kaleb Cowart that it's OK if he tries to get to the big leagues as a third baseman, as he desires, but that he should also exercise his above-average fastball and good slider a couple of times a week, just in case.

Rushing Jordan Walden into the closer's role had nice results at the outset, but he's scuffling now -- not getting his brains beat in, but coughing up leads in three of his past six save opps.

Hey, he's 23, it's a process, and no one else on the premises seemed nearly as ready as he was ... gee, it sure was important to get Brian Fuentes out of town ASAP, now wasn't it?

It was a rough opening weekend for the Mike Scioscia managerial tree (which I featured last month).

While Scioscia's Angels were going Bullpen-less In Kansas City and escaping with one victory in four tries, Joe Maddon's defending AL East champion Rays were busy making the 2011 Orioles staff resemble the 1970 Orioles staff in a three-game Baltimore sweep at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Bud Black's Padres won 2 of 3 against the Cardinals for the tree's lone bright spot, but rookie manager Ron Roenicke's Brewers went 0-3 at Cincinnati.

UPDATE: The visiting Braves made Roenicke 0-4 with a comeback, 2-1 victory to ruin Milwaukee's home opener.

The San Diego Padres were interested this week in former Angels catcher Bengie Molina, last seen in the World Series with the Texas Rangers. Gregg Zaun's retirement prompted the inquiry by Bud Black's team.

Contrary to some reports, Molina is not retired at age 36, although he's looking for a guaranteed contract. San Jose's Andrew Baggarly talked to him.

Word out of Peoria, Ariz., is that former Angel Kevin Frandsen hopes to hook on with the Padres as a utility man and the Padres hope he does, too.

"He's a guy we're going to look at hard to fill a utility infield role," Padres manager Bud Black told mlb.com in this story. "He's got experience, he's versatile. He can do a lot of things."

A one-time prospect, Frandsen said his perspective changed after an Achilles injury forced him to miss significant time.

"During that injury time, I figured it out," he explained. "I saw that I could make a living for myself by playing all the positions, being a good teammate, coming in to play defense, the double-switches ... all of the little things.

"It's a pride thing. I think the reason you see a lot of utility guys stay around as long as they do is because they play the game right."

Memo to the San Diego Padres: When you are on your fifth hitting coach in four seasons, it's not the hitting coaches.

The Padres made ex-major league manager and former Dodgers Rookie of the Year Jim Lefebvre, 67, their latest scapegoat Friday.

Lefebvre was fired amidst all the Jake Peavy trade hubbub. His replacement was Triple-A Portland manager Randy Ready, 49, also a former major-leaguer.

As were Wally Joyner, Merv Rettenmund and Dave Magadan, who preceeded Lefebvre through the revolving door.

Lefebvre, the 1965 NL Rookie of the Year for a Dodgers team that won the World Series, managed the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers in his long big-league career. He also managed Team China in the Beijing Olympics and the World Baseball Classic (above, right).